Presentation

DNA Damage and Repair

Team leader: Joanna Timmins

The prime objective for every life form is to deliver its genetic material, intact and unchanged, to the next generation, despite constant assaults from both endogenous and environmental sources on the DNA. DNA lesions can block genome replication and transcription, and if left unrepaired can lead to mutations or wider-scale genome aberrations that threaten cell or organism viability. To counter this threat, cells have evolved several elaborate DNA damage response systems.

Our team studies the molecular mechanisms underlying DNA damage recognition and repair in humans and in the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. Our work focuses on two major aspects, which are:

Our goal is to use a combination of Structural Biology methods, Biophysical and Biochemical tools and single-molecule fluorescence techniques to decipher the complex molecular processes leading to efficient repair of DNA lesions.